Grade 4 ELA Module 1A, Unit 1

In Unit 1, students will read and listen closely to interpret main ideas and thematic
connections between visual imagery (symbols and graphics), oral tradition
(Haudenosaunee video) and diverse texts (“Birth of the Haudenosaunee”, Two Row
Wampum, and Frost’s “A Time to Talk”). Students will create symbols that relate to
the texts and write explanatory paragraphs about how their studentcreated
personal symbols connect to the ideas in the texts.

Students will begin the unit with a video created by the Onondaga Nation and a
close read of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address. This is followed by a
gallery walk of symbols and a close read of “Birth of the Haudenosaunee” and
several other texts to learn more about where the identity of the Haudenosaunee
people comes from and who they are today. Students will connect what they learn
through oral tradition, symbols and text to develop a deeper understanding of the
Haudenosaunee culture and its people.